Hungry Jack's Fries Review: Burger King's Aussie Prince

Burger King is one of the dominating fast food franchises in the US. Their burgers make them an icon and a part of the delicious US fast food culture that we know today. But is its Aussie subsidiary as essential to the culture of its country as Burger King is to the US? We wanted to find out via its fries or "chips" as the Aussies will say.

So why the name "Hungry Jack's"? Apparently, when Burger King tried to launch in Australia in 1971, the name was already trademarked by a local restaurant. So its founder Jack Cowin naturally selected a name with his own name in it. Hungry Jack's has now grown to over 400 locations in Australia.

Earlier in the year, we reviewed Burger King's fries and quite frankly, they did not score well (unlike their burgers). Well we are hoping that Hungry Jack's Thick Cut Chips do better! Here is our Hungry Jack's fries review.

Hungry Jack's at Pitt & Park in downtown Sydney. The logo definitely looks like Burger King!

Texture (5/10)

The Australian cousin started off with a shaky texture, as the fries had a light crisp and a similarly light crunch. The balance between the crisp and crunch was well done, although there could definitely have been more of both to complement the interior. The interior however, was quite soft and a bit mushy, which overpowered the crisp and crunch, creating a weird texture overall. We understand that they were going for "thick cut" fries but if so, you really need to approach it with the appropriate cooking method.

The exterior by itself was decent, but combined with the mushy innards, it is not as pleasant.

Flavor (4/10)

It went even more downhill from the texture as it was evident that there was definitely an attempt to season the fries with what feels like a blend of spices and some pepper. But the seasoning was applied in an unequal fashion, which made some fries much more prominent in flavor than others. On top of that, there were no defaults like salt, which made some fries absolutely bland. Due to the severe inconsistency from fry to fry, we cannot give a high score on the flavor.

Shape (6/10)

The fries improved slightly on the shape though, as they were sturdy and did not fall apart. They were easy to grab being a medium length, and were relatively thicker than other fast-food chains, making them, very accessible. Again, being thick cut, they should be a hybrid between a wedge and a classical stick, which we believe they attempted it well. One thing holding them back though, was the quite large variation in the sizes of the fries.

Presentation (4/10)

The presentation was for the most part, standard to what many fast-food chains do. The fries were placed in a carton, which was placed in a brown bag. The presentation was nothing special, but the carton was a bit small for the regular size of fries ordered. And given the thick cut nature of the product, perhaps the number of sticks makes it even look less, which made the untidy placement more prominent. Also, we definitely recognize the care employees place when "inserting" the fries in the carton - think of those vertically standing long yellow sticks - but we did not see much of that.

Perhaps the could have been more care placed in packing the fries in a vertical alignment, especially when there are fewer sticks due to each thickness.

Experience (4/10)

The fries themselves did not taste very good by themselves, let alone elevate the other foods to enhance the experience. Also, there weren't that many sticks, which makes one question if the price is worth it. Yes, they may be thick cut fries. But naturally, shouldn't the container be larger to compensate for the huge gaps in between? Let alone, more effort could have been spent in placing the few sticks neatly so that more could be packed into the same space. Overall, we believe it was a subpar experience, even comparing that to Burger King's in the US.

Texture	5
Flavor	4
Shape	6
Presentation	4
Experience	4
Overall	4.6 / 10

Conclusion

Overall, Hungry Jack's Thick Cut Crisps failed in doing multiple things. The texture of the exterior and interior was imbalanced, accentuating the randomly seasoned flavor and its inconsistency. And although the shape helped a bit, it too was inconsistent. And to put the nail in the coffin, the fries did not not complement nor enhance the rest of the meal. Oh did I mention the poorly presented thick sticks and came in small quantities? Based on this review, we can make a definitive conclusion that these fries were not up to par with the Burger King's flame grilled Whoppers across the Pacific.

We do recognize that Burger King's fries in the US got an overall score of 3.6 so we could say it is an improvement. But we do have high hopes for "chips" in Australia.

The "Whopper" brand is missing but they do emphasize frame grilled.